Automatic doorset



Patented Get. 8, 1929 UNITED STATES rarer mm AUTOMATIC DOORSE'I.

Application filed February 14, 1928. Serial No. 254,306.

This invention relates to devices used for controlling the opening and closing of doors from a distance.

One of the objects of this invention is to facilitate a control of doors, especially such as garages from a distance away from a garage.

Another object is to facilitate the opening and closing of doors by means of a latchkeycontrolled water-connection, the water-connection including mechanisms whereby the doors can be opened or closed.

Another object is to provide a wateractuated mechanism whereby doors can be controlled from a distance by means of a valve at a desired point in the water-actuated mechanism.

Another object is :to provide means for automatically returning the doors to a neutral position when the water-actuated mechanism is neutralized.

Another object is to provide locking means whereby the doors are kept locked when the water-actuated mechanism is inits neutral position.

Another object is to provide a latchkey control in connection with the water control valve of the water-actuated mechanism.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a framentary detail top plan view of a water-actuatedmechanism with arms to be attached to doors and a piston and plunger upon which water may act to operate the arms, and including a locking mechanism whereby the door arms are locked to the water-cylinder in neutral position, parts being shown in midsectional view to illustrate the inside working parts.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail top plan view partly in midsection, illustrating the locking mechanism in opened position.

Fig. 3 is a somewhat diagrammatical illustration in top plan view of two door-controls with a controlling lock shown in relation to doors and having also indicated the outline of a building.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a latcl1-controlled valve box.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 4, illustrating the inside working mechanism of the valve box.

From the illustration in Fig. 3 an idea may be had of the principal features involved in this invention. v

lVhether it is a garage or any other build ing is eventually not the most important fea 0 ture, however, the invention is of special ad. vantage for controlling the doors of a garage, whereby the driver of an automobile is enabled to open and close the doors on approaching or leaving the garage.

The line 6 indicates the outline of garage walls. Two doors 7 are shown opened, while other doors '8 are shown closed. As illustrated, the invention includes a cylinder 9 connected'to a pipe supply line 10 by which water may be supplied to the cylinder 9. The water supply to the cylinder acts upon a piston in the cylinder and thereby on the pistonrod or plunger 11, so that the arms 12 may force the doors open. The water supply line 10 is connected to a valve box 13 which is in turn connected to a water supply line 14 and a water discharging line 15.

The water supply line 14 may connect to any existing water system on a property, so while the water-discharging line 15 may simply let the water run to the surface of the ground on which the valve boX 13 is mounted, or may again be connected to a sewer system, or any other water-discharging pipe line This mechanism requires very little water. From actual use it has been found-that ap-, proximately a quart of water is all that is discharged on the completion of any one operation. For this reason, it has been found that the water-discharge may simply be allowed to run into a flower bed or into the garden.

In Figs. 1 and 2 thewater-actuated mechanism and connecting door arms are illustrated more clearly indetail. The piston 9 has the supply connection 16 at one end whereby water is allowed to act upon the plunger cups 17 The plunger 18 is connected to the plunger-rod 19. The door arms 20 are provided at one end with attachments 21 by which the arms can be secured to doors and while the other ends of the door arms are connected to levers 22 as indicated at 23, the levers 22 are pivotally mounted on a frame 24 as indicated at 25.

A block 26is secured to the phmger-rod 19 to abut against the frame 24 and acts on the door arms 20.

A certain play or space is left for the block 26 within the frame 24. This play or space provides a suitable and sufiicient movement of the plunger-rod to be used for unlocking the door arms before beginning to push on the door arms.

This unlocking is illustrated in Fig. 2. The plunger bar 19 with the secured block 26 is moved from the abutting resting shoulder 27 to an oppositely disposed resting shoulder 28 of the frame 24. While moved from the abutting shoulder 27 to the abutting shoulder 28, the block 26 is caused to move between the locking arms 29, thereby disengaging these arms from the locl-ced plate which is secured to the end of the shoulder 9.

By the time that the locking arn s 29 are disengaged from the locking plate 30 on the piston 9, the block 26 has reached the abutting shoulder 23 of the frame 24, so that upon a further movement of the plunger-rod 19 the frame 24 with the pivotally connected door arms 20 are moved in the direction of the arrow 31.

A guide bar 32 is provided to steady and support the plunger-rod 19 and the door arms 20 during the operation of the whole mechanism. The supporting and guiding bar 32 is provided with an attachment 33 by which this bar may be secured to the frame work of the garage. By such a forward movement the doors of a garage are opened.

To return the mechanism to inoperative position and thereby to close the doors, a plain cable 34 is preferably used, one end attached to the block 26 and the other end attached to a weight 35, the cable and weight being suspended over a roller 36 as indicated in Fig. 3.

For controlling the flow of water to the cylinder 9 any suitable valve may be used.

A special form of valve mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The valve housing 13 includes valves 37 and 38.

The main water supply is applied to the valve housing 13 as indicated at 14. The valve 38 is therefore always controlling this main water supply flowing in the direction of the arrow 39. As illustrated in the drawing, the control lever 40 is set to one side whereby the valve 38 is kept closed and the valve 37 is opened. This position indicates that the water from the cylinder 9 may pass through the connecting pipe 10 in the direction of the arrow 41 through the opening made by the valve 47 and further in the direction of the arrow 42 out of the discharging connection 15.

The valves 37 are operatively connected in such a manner that both valves are taking a neutral closing position when the control lever 40 is in its neutral inoperative position.

The springs 43 and 44 are interposed between the levers 45 and 46 whereby the control lever 40 may move beyond the closing position either of the valves after the levers 45 and 46 and come to their closing and inoperative position inasmuch as the springs will yield suiiiciently to allow the lever to move on for a slight distance as clearly illustrated by the portions of the levers 45 and 46 with respect to the ends 47 and 48 of the pin 011 which be two springs 43 and 44 are disposed, the spring 43 being clearly compressed, while the spring 44 is expanded or released.

The plate 49 is in direct connection with the main control lever 40, being provided with hook ends 50, 51 and 52, the central hook portion 51 serving to actuate the valves 37 and 33 for opening purposes, while the hook ends and 52 serve more in form of stops for the control. lever movements. The springs 43 and 44 are sufiicient to draw the valves into closing position in the initial movement of the main control lever 40 to its neutral position.

A moving of the main control lever 40 in the direction of the arrow 53 results in the opening of the valve 38, while the discharge valve 37 is maintained closed. In this setting of the main control lever 40 the water may pass in the direction of the arrow 39 from a main water source through the water connection 14 and through the opening made bv the valve 38 to pass through the connection 10 in the direction of the arrow 54.

A la-tchkey set is inserted into the main control lever 40 as indicated at 55. This latchkey may consist of any well-known tumbler type of safety-lock.

From the above it will be clear that one may unlock the control valves by the latchkey 55 before entering the garage, and it will also be clear that the valve mechanism illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 may beset in the manner described above from the position roughly outlined in Fig. 3 to cause the opening of the doors of the garage in the manner roughly indicated in the illustration. An operator may then withdraw the key from the valve-box and enter the automobile after leaving the garage and passing the valve box 13.

The operator of the car, while still sitting in the automobile, may set the main control lever into neutral position whereby the water is discharged in the manner described above.

The garage doors will automatically be closed by the weight 35, connected by the cable 34 to the door control mechanism described above, and as soon as the doors are fully closed, the locking lever 29 will engage over the locking plate 30 in the manner described above with reference to the illustrations in Figs. 1 and 2, and as may be realized from the illustration in Fig. 3 roughly outlined in connection with the closed door, the door is then fully closed and locked. Since the main control lever 40 can only be moved again after insertion and operation of the latchkey 55, no unauthorized person can open the garage doors.

WVhile a complete set of a latch-controlled valve-box may be provided for each wateractuated mechanism to control a pair of doors independently, it must be understood that it is eventually merely a matter for a draftsman to combine suitable bars within one latch-controlled valve-box whereby suflicient valves may be operated for controlling two sets of a water-actuated mechanism and thereby for two pairs of doors.

I do, therefore, not limit myself to the specific construction of any details, or parts described above or illustrated in the draw ings, but want it understood that I may vary some details, or parts, or combinations within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my. invention, I claim:

In a door control apparatus, a water-actuated mechanism including cylinder, piston and door connecting means, a latchkey-actuated control mechanism for controlling the water-supply for the Water-actuated mechanism, and locking means for locking the door connecting means to the cylinder in its neutral position, the locking means being yieldingly connected to the piston whereby an initial movement of the piston results in an unlocking of the locking means from the cylinder so as to free the piston for further movements with respect to the door connecting means for opening the doors.

In testimony that I have claimed the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name.

WILLIAM F. KANOLD. 

